After the Bullets
by ManateeMama
Summary: This takes place immediately after Brenda shoots Stroh. This is my first story. Ever. After I wrote it I read ProcrastinationQueen's wonderful story on the same subject. While hers is just wonderful, since I spent time writing it I didn't want to not let others read it too. Thank you in advance for any comments and help.
1. Chapter 1

That evening:

Brenda's hands were still shaking, but not as badly, as she hung up the phone. With an eye still on Stroh she reached into a drawer next to the sink, drew out a towel and handed it to a moaning Rusty. "Wrap it around your leg and twist it tight. It'll stop the bleeding until the ambulance can get here," she said.

Stroh started to speak but she sharply cut him off. "Shut up! I told you I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now."

She eyed the contents of her purse on the floor but made no move toward them until she heard sirens. Then, still with her gun trained on Stroh, she walked over to the items spilled on the floor and picked up her cell phone and wallet and put them into the pockets of her jogging suit.

A patrolman, a paramedic, and an ambulance attendant followed by Sgt. Gabriel entered the room and Brenda told the ambulance attendant "The boy is Rusty Beck. He was stabbed in the leg." Then, "Officer, this man is Phillip Stroh. He is under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of attempted murder, attempted rape, assault of a police officer, and breaking and entering. Read him his rights. I want him cuffed immediately, and I want 24 hour surveillance – both inside and outside his hospital room. And he is not allowed any contact with anyone other than LAPD and hospital personnel until he is arraigned. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Chief. Perfectly clear."

The rest of her squad arrived and Provenza said "I'll take care of Stroh, Chief. Don't you worry."

As they started to put on booties and gloves, Brenda stopped them saying "This is an officer involved shooting. FID will be taking over. Just make sure Stroh is isolated and guarded. And I'm goin' to have Sgt. Gabriel go with Rusty to the hospital so someone please spell him. Thank you."

The paramedic and ambulance attendant began evaluating Stroh's injuries while Stroh continued to lie there breathing shallowly. When Stroh was finally on a gurney and wheeled out to the waiting ambulance, the rest of Brenda's squad followed. Sanchez stopped in the doorway. "Chief, is there anything you need?"

No, thank you, Detective. I'm fine. Go take care of Stroh. Remember, no contact..." Sanchez nodded and left.

"Rusty, you remember Sgt. Gabriel? He's going to ride with you in the ambulance and will stay with you until I can get there." Sgt. Gabriel nodded his understanding.

As Sgt. Gabriel watched, the ambulance attendant removed the towel from Rusty's leg and gingerly explored his wound. Rusty whimpered "You mean you're not coming with me?"

"No, Rusty, I'm sorry. I can't. I shot someone and there's going to be an investigation here tonight. I have to stay here and give my statement. And you'll have an opportunity to give yours tomorrow after a doctor looks at your leg. Ok?" Rusty nodded and moaned softly as the attendant carefully straightened his leg and began scissoring the leg of his jeans.

At this moment Sharon Raydor arrived and immediately went to Brenda's side. "Chief, are you all right?" she asked, concern in her voice and on her face.

"I think so, yes," Brenda replied. "I was thrown to the floor pretty hard so I'm sure I'm going to be bruised and sore but all this blood belongs to Rusty and Stroh. Just as soon as they're both out of here I'll cooperate in any way you need."

"Good," Capt. Raydor replied while looking intently around the room. Her eyes fell on the bullet holes in Brenda's purse.

Brenda followed Raydor's gaze and explained "Stroh was coming at me with that knife over there on the floor. I didn't have time to take my gun out of my purse."

Capt. Raydor gave Brenda a wry smile. "Stroh should thank his lucky stars you had to shoot through your purse. Otherwise he'd be on a coroner's gurney instead of in an ambulance."

After Stroh and Rusty had departed for the hospital, Brenda and Capt. Raydor sat down at the dining room table while the FID officers milled about the kitchen. Brenda watched black gloved fingers going through her things. They reminded her of spiders. She shivered and looked over at the open laundry room door and asked no one in particular "Where is Joel?"

Captain Raydor returned question for question. "Who is Joel?"

"My cat. He's an indoor cat and doesn't know about the outdoors. And it's dark now." An FID officer replied "There's an orange tabby in the bedroom. Is that the one you're looking for?"

"Yes," Brenda replied turning to Capt. Raydor, "Will you please excuse me for a minute while I put him in his cat carrier?" She didn't wait for an answer before stepping carefully around the blood on the floor. She picked up Joel and buried her face in his soft fur and listened to him purr. It felt so good to snuggle with a living, loving being. Putting him in his cat carrier, she apologized to him, turned and walked carefully back to the dining room table.

An FID officer was reporting to Capt. Raydor. "We didn't find a wallet or cell phone." Capt. Raydor looked questioningly at Brenda but dismissed the officer. "Thank you." Brenda's gaze was steady.

"Chief, where are your wallet and cell phone?"

"I put them in my pocket when I first came home."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know Rusty well enough to trust him and I didn't want them stolen."

"You know we need to collect all the evidence."

"My wallet and cell phone are not evidence. They were not involved in any way so they won't help your investigation. And I need them." Brenda's voice was steady and with a steely edge.

"Chief..."

"Look, Captain, my home is a crime scene. I can't stay here tonight. I don't have family here and my husband is out of town. I have to rent a hotel room and I have to be able to pay for it. My husband will be calling me any minute now. You've already bagged the land line and he'll be worried if he calls my cell and I don't answer."

Captain Raydor leaned back in her chair, studied Brenda's face for a minute, let out a sigh, and said "Well, if you say you had them in your pocket the entire time..."

"I did."

Sharon gave her a knowing look but said nothing. Brenda caught her expression so she hurriedly volunteered to give her statement. Captain Raydor put a tape recorder on the table and Brenda recounted the events of the evening then concluded by saying "I think my keys were in my purse. I assume you'll arrange for someone to pick up my car."

"I haven't completed your suspension paperwork yet and I'm sure I won't get to it for at least three days, so technically you're still entitled to drive it."

"So I can take my keys?"

Capt. Raydor called out to one of the FID officers and asked him to find the keys and give them to Brenda just as the telephone rang. No one moved to remove it from it's plastic evidence bag and answer it. Soon the answering machine turned on. "Hey, honey. I've made some progress today and I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. I hope you're not working too late. I love you."

Brenda turned her gaze from the direction of the answering machine back to Captain Raydor and said "I need to pack some clothes for myself and my husband since we're going to be out of our home for the next few days."

"FID is still working in your closet."

"I don't think he was in my closet."

"You said that you don't know where he was before he dragged Rusty into the kitchen. He might have hidden in the closet."

"Well, he wasn't in my clothes and he wasn't in my dresser drawers. I need to pack a few things. You can watch me if you're afraid I'll take something you need for your investigation."

Capt. Raydor didn't reply and immediately changed the subject. "If Rusty isn't admitted what should we do with him?"

"I can't take him with me to a hotel. We'll have to call DCS and ask for emergency foster care. He won't like it but I don't know what else we can do."

Brenda's cell phone rang. She removed it from her pocket and answered it. "Hi, honey. Yes, I'm home but I couldn't get to the phone when you called. Sharon Raydor is here. We're deciding what to do with Rusty Beck. Ok. Call me when you get in tomorrow. I love you. Bye." She turned back to Sharon who was also on her phone.

"Yes, thank you, Sgt. Gabriel. I'll be sure to tell her. Good night, Sargent." She turned to Brenda. "Rusty is being held overnight. He's unhappy about it but he's been sedated so he's not fighting it. I'll call DCS and arrange for him to be picked up when he's discharged tomorrow."

"Oh, good. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Chief. Now, let me check and see if they're finished with your closet so you can pack some clothes."

"And while you're checking I'm going to call a hotel."

When she was finally in her hotel room, Brenda called Sgt. Gabriel. Rusty was sleeping so she decided to wait until the next day to go to the hospital to check on him. Finally, her duty finished, she allowed herself to break down. After a good long cry, she slept fitfully.


	2. After the Bullets, Chapter 2

The next day:

Brenda waited until she knew Fritz's plane was in the air and called Fritz's cell phone so she could leave a message for him. "Hi, honey. Please call me on my cell as soon as you're off the plane. I love you." She didn't want him worrying unnecessarily but couldn't keep the stress out of her voice.

After Brenda hung up the phone she stuck her wallet and cell phone into her pockets and headed down the elevator. "I need my purse," she grumbled to herself but she wasn't in the mood for shopping. She slid gingerly into her car. Every muscle in her body ached and she made a mental note to stop at the drug store to buy a bottle of aspirin.

Brenda knocked softly on Rusty's door and was greeted by Lt. Tao who stepped into the hall with her and spoke softly. "Gabriel is getting something to eat. We're just waiting for the doctor to make his rounds and sign Rusty's discharge papers. DCS has found a foster home and a caseworker will be here soon."

"How is he doing today?"

"He's got a lot of stitches in his leg and he's complaining about everything but he ate a big breakfast so he'll be OK," Tao replied.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Tao," and Brenda stepped into the room. "Good morning, Rusty. How are you feeling today?"

"Hey, where have you been? You said you'd come to the hospital last night."

"Yes, I did. I called after I finished up with Captain Raydor and Sgt. Gabriel said that you'd been given some medication and that you were asleep. So I decided to wait until this morning."

Just then there was a knock on the door and a woman with a clipboard entered the room. Brenda introduced herself and Rusty.

"Hello, Rusty. My name is Mrs. Ainsley and I'm with DCS. I've arranged a place for you to stay."

Rusty looked up in alarm and turned to Brenda. "You're sticking me in a foster home? No way. I won't go!"

Brenda replied "Rusty, we have to keep you safe. We can't let you back out on your own. Mrs. Ainsley has arranged a safe place for you to stay. Why don't you hear her out?"

"No! I don't want to hear about any foster home. I just told you. I won't go."

Mrs. Ainsley opened the file on her clipboard and said softly "The Thompsons have two teenagers of their own. They've got a pool, an X Box and two dogs. You just might like it there." She handed Rusty some photographs. In spite of himself he was curious so he looked at them and said nothing. Mrs. Ainsley signaled to Brenda to step out into the hall.

"Leave him to me. I deal with angry adolescents all the time. He'll focus more on the foster home if he doesn't feel he has to spend his time bargaining with you to rescue him."

"All right. Let me say goodbye to him." Brenda stepped back into the room. "Rusty, I'm going to leave you and Mrs. Ainsley to talk. Please give her a chance."

"I don't want to go to any foster home," Rusty proclaimed as she said goodbye and left the room. After stopping for aspirin, Brenda drove back to the hotel to wait for Fritz's call.

Walking down the concourse at LAX, Fritz picked up his wife's voice mail message and was puzzled by its urgency. Brenda picked up his call right away. "Hi, honey. What's going on?" she heard him ask.

"I need you to come here right now. I'm at the same hotel where we stayed when we got back from Atlanta. Room 417. I'll explain everything when you get here." She ended the call just as he was starting to speak so she wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

About 45 minutes later there was a knock on the door. Brenda let Fritz in and, as he started to ask questions, kissed him and said "I'm all right".

"Why are you here? What happened?"

Brenda could hear the anxiety building in his voice. "Our home is a crime scene and we have to stay here for the next two or three days."

"WHAT?"

Brenda sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Fritz down beside her. " First, I'm OK. I brought Rusty home with me to keep him safe and to give DCS time to arrange a placement for him. Stroh must have followed us because he broke into the house and held Rusty at knife point. There was a struggle and he slashed Rusty's leg with the knife. Then he attacked me. He tried to rape me and choke me but I fought him off. I got to my gun and shot him.

Fritz's sick expression and rising fury caused Brenda to touch his mouth before he could say anything. "I'm OK. He didn't rape me. He's alive but since it's an officer involved shooting FID has taken over our home for the next 48 hours. Then Major Crimes will have to have it. That's the short version. If you want the Tao version, I'll fill in the details later."

At the mention of "the Tao version" Fritz relaxed and smiled and let out a sigh. He saw the tears welling up in her eyes, heard the stress in her voice, and knew it was best to not push for more details right now - even though he knew Brenda's version skipped a lot of important details. Time enough to collect more information later. Right now she needed a diversion. "Where's Joel?"

"I had to board him again last night since he can't stay at the hotel. I packed three days worth of clothes for both of us. I hope I brought everything we'll need because I don't think we can get anywhere near the house until FID is finished."

Feeling that she still needed a diversion, Fritz asked, "Have you eaten yet? Because I haven't had anything since breakfast and I'm starved."

"Uh, no. I'm not really hungry but I suppose I should eat something. Let's go get dinner."

On their way back from the restaurant, Fritz decided it was time to get more information. "Are you going into work tomorrow?"

"No," Brenda replied. And slowly she told Fritz about the events leading up to Stroh's invasion of their home.

Fritz knew he had to tread carefully. He was shocked hearing about his wife's attack on Stroh and a "Brenda, what the hell?" slipped out before he could squelch it. But since he didn't want his reaction to make Brenda retreat into silence or lies he decided not to point out that her suspension and possible firing was a logical consequence of her behavior.

"What are you going to do?" he asked instead.

Brenda told him about her possible job offer and said "I called DDA Hobbs this morning and she transferred me to the District Attorney's office. I have an interview tomorrow. I was hoping for a little more time so I could get back into the house to get something more appropriate to wear but he'll just have to take me as I am." She took Fritz's smile as encouragement and continued "I think DDA Hobbs is right. He knows everything that happened yesterday and still sounded like he wants to offer me the position."

Fritz looked at her and smiled. "I think you must be distantly related to Joel."

This surprised Brenda. "What? Why do you say that?"

Fritz smiled again. "Because, no matter what happens, you always land on your feet."

She smiled and Fritz took her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Day 3:

Fritz woke up before Brenda and, after his shower, decided to order breakfast. "She's got her interview this morning but I'll give her a few more minutes," Fritz thought and stepped out in the hall to order breakfast.

* * *

He had to admit that he was a little disappointed last night. He had hoped for some love making but Brenda still ached all over from her struggle with Stroh. Fritz had been shocked to see the deep purple bruises on her neck and had insisted in examining her body while Brenda rolled her eyes and asked "Well, Dr. Howard, what is your diagnosis?"

He had ignored her and asked if she thought she ought to be checked out by her doctor but she declined saying that she thought the aspirin was enough. Then she gingerly pulled Fritz's old T-shirt back on.

When Fritz noticed what she was wearing he asked "What are you doing in that?"

"It's yours," she replied simply.

"I know it's mine, Brenda. But you've never worn one of my T-shirts before. And it's not even a clean one. I threw it in the hamper before I left for DC."

She didn't bother to tell him that she wears one of his T-shirts every time he's gone overnight. "I know. I got it out and wore it last night too."

"Why?"

"Because it smells like you and I needed you to be with me," Brenda replied softly.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Fritz sat beside her on the bed and held her in his arms. Her answer was breaking his heart. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you."

Annoyed with herself for making him feel guilty, Brenda replied "I know. But neither of us thought anythin' like that would happen. I just..." And her voice broke off.

Fritz said nothing. He just held her, rubbing her back and burying his face in her hair willing himself not to let her see how devastated he was. He knew she was struggling with her own emotions and he wanted to be strong for her sake.

After a few minutes, they got into bed. He wrapped his arms around her saying "You, I want to hold. My dirty laundry? Not so much."

Brenda smiled and said "You're here now so I guess I can put on somethin' else."

"No. We're already in bed. But I hope tomorrow night you can find something a little sexier than my old T-shirt."

She was even able to chuckle as she snuggled up next to him. And he continued to hold her until she fell asleep, even though his arm went numb.

* * *

The sound of someone knocking on the door woke Brenda but she made no move to get up until Fritz had tipped room service and wheeled the cart into the room. When she started to get up, she winced. "Damn Phillip Stroh!" she muttered, moving more cautiously this time.

Fritz wheeled the cart up to the small table and set out the food and coffee. They talked quietly through breakfast.

"I want to call Sgt. Gabriel sometime today and talk to him. And this mornin' I need to call Captain Raydor and find out when they're goin' to pick up my car."

"Speaking of which. If you really are going to leave the LAPD, I suppose we need to buy you a car. You need to start thinking about what you want," Fritz commented. He was avoiding the topic which he knew was on both their minds and was surprised when Brenda brought it up.

"FID may finish up today and if Major Crimes can get what they need from them we might get back into the house tonight or tomorrow."

"I guess we need to see what kind of cleanup needs to be done and call the landlord," Fritz commented studying his wife's face to gauge her reaction before continuing. "We'll probably need to do some patching and painting,"

"Fritz, I know you think I need to face going back there. And I..." Brenda's voice trailed off.

Fritz took her hand and spoke quietly. "Honey, there are no demons at our house. You shot the demon and he's in the hospital on his way to prison, and we'll go home together. I know it probably feels rushed to you but we can't afford to stay in a hotel for very long."

He saw Brenda's eyes welling up. "I know you're right," she whispered, "And I'll try."

"Just keep remembering that you shot Stroh. You conquered that demon. He can't hurt you anymore."

Brenda nodded and gave Fritz a weak smile.

He knew it was time to change the subject. "What time is your interview?"

"9:30. Good grief. Look at the time. I've got to get into the shower." She started to rise more quickly than she should have, winced, and asked Fritz, "Could you find my aspirin?" He retrieved the bottle of aspirin from beside the bed and set it on the table. Then he waited for Brenda to get dressed and walked her to her car. Kissing her goodbye he said "Call me after your interview, ok?"

"I will. Bye, honey," she smiled at him.

"That's a good sign," Fritz thought as he got in his car and backed out of his parking space.

Since she didn't have her LAPD identification, Brenda was forced to go through the scanner. As she went up the elevator to the District Attorney's office she thought "I have _got_ to get another purse. But at least she had remembered to buy some lipstick." She smiled at the receptionist, gave her name, and said that she had a 9:30 appointment with DA Corning.

"Yes, he's expecting you. Have a seat, Chief Johnson, and I'll let him know you're here."

Before Brenda could decide which dog-eared, two year old magazine she wanted to flip through, the receptionist called her name telling her that she should follow her. Brenda was led down the hall where Steve Corning, the District Attorney for Los Angeles County was waiting for her with a smile. He was a pleasant, but tired looking man in his mid sixties.

Brenda listened to him explain the nature of the job of Chief of the Bureau of Investigations. He emphasized that the position was largely administrative in nature but that since they always have more investigations than they can handle speedily enough for the courts she could possibly do field investigations from time to time.

"May I bring someone from my team to serve as a liaison?" Brenda asked. "That could significantly speed up investigations."

"We have funding problems in this office too," DA Corning countered.

"Actually, I'm hoping to convince the LAPD to keep him on their payroll since Chief Pope seems determined to have the DA's office more actively involved in Major Crimes' investigations," Brenda explained.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But, to tell you the truth, I honestly don't know why."

"Chief Pope told me that the Police Commission insisted on it as a way of limitin' our liability," Brenda said.

"Well, I know the idea didn't originate with the Police Commission. I had lunch with the new Commissioner yesterday and told him that I would be meeting with you today. I asked him about liability issues and he said that the LAPD always has liability risks and, while he felt your actions may have increased those from time to time, he recognized that you were solving crimes no one else could have and that liability comes with the territory. In spite of the lawsuits he considers you a valuable asset to the LAPD."

DA Corning saw Brenda's expression change and quickly added "The Commissioner promised me that he would say nothing to Chief Pope about this meeting. If you decide to accept the position, it will be your responsibility to notify Pope yourself. And if you don't, well, your relationship with him won't be damaged in any way."

Brenda hoped her expression didn't give away just how surprised and angry she was to learn that Pope's "compromises" never existed. She smiled at him and said "DA Corning, I have to confess that this is not the interview I was expectin'."

"Oh, this is not an interview, Chief Johnson. This is a job offer. You see, we really need someone of your caliber in this office. I've sat in staff meetings and I've reviewed the case stats. After you arrived in Los Angeles, the number of cases we had to expend time and money fleshing out from your division dropped to near zero. And they increased in every other LAPD unit during the same time period."

She smiled so he continued, "We feel that you are just the person we need to bring our investigators up to speed and to get our cases ready for court."

"I'm not a lawyer, sir," Brenda said, "Nor am I a politician. I tend to ruffle feathers."

"Oh, I know. We've got plenty of lawyers. But what we don't have is a crack investigator. And that's you. With your skills, I believe we can get cases into court faster and in better shape. That should save us both time and money."

"What about the feather rufflin'?"

"You won't really be in a position where you can ruffle feathers."

As he spoke Brenda thought "I wonder if this is what it's like to be a star quarterback bein' recruited for the NFL."

The conversation shifted to salary and benefits. Brenda was pleasantly surprised to learn that she would be earning as much as she received at the LAPD. But she would not have the use of a department car. Even though she would have to purchase one, that was not her main concern.

"Sir, when I accepted the position of Deputy Chief, the LAPD accepted all my years of service from both the Metro DC Police Department and the Atlanta PD. Would you be willin' to accept those as well as my service time at the LAPD?"

"I anticipated that you would ask that and, yes, if you accept the position we will honor all of your past service time with law enforcement. But, we cannot honor your time with the State Department."

"That's all right. I didn't expect you to. But before I can give you an answer I need to discuss all of this with my husband. When would I need to start? I'd like to spend some time with my father in Atlanta. My mother just passed away and I feel he needs me right now."

"Could you start in a month? Would that give you enough time?"

"I think I could manage that, yes. Let me discuss all of this with my husband and I'll call you."

"I've taken the liberty of drafting a contract proposal for you. I'll write my home and cell numbers on it. Please let me know as soon as you can," DA Corning concluded.

Back in the hotel, Brenda called Sharon Raydor. "Hello, Captain. This is Chief Johnson. I'm wondering if you can give me an update on FID's progress."

"Good morning, Chief," Captain Raydor replied. "FID should be ready to release your home this afternoon. Chief Pope has reviewed our initial findings and he thinks that Major Crimes can get everything they need from our reports but I believe they do want to examine the crime scene before it's released. They can do that this evening and you can go home any time tomorrow."

"Thank you, Captain. Can you tell me what your conclusions are?"

"I think you'll be completely exonerated in the shooting of Stroh. After all, he broke into your home, assaulted both you and Rusty, and you did save Rusty's life. But, there's a problem, Captain Raydor said.

Brenda knew exactly what the Captain was referring to. "The elevator incident."

"Yes. The City Attorney feels that since Stroh posed no physical threat to you at the time, your attack on him was completely unwarranted. And he's insisting that a formal reprimand be placed in your permanent record along with a suspension without pay. I think I've convinced him that the suspension is not deserved but he's still insisting on the reprimand."

"Captain, I will not accept a reprimand. If I had received the support I needed from the LAPD, not only would I not have been forced to obtain DNA that way, I would not have been almost raped and murdered in my own home."

Brenda was seething and Captain Raydor knew it. "I understand, Chief. I've explained all of that to Chief Pope but he seems determined to accept the City Attorney's recommendations.

"Oh, yes," Brenda said bitterly. "He couldn't let his own failure come out. He's got to impress the Police Commissioner and the Mayor." Brenda concluded by muttering "Bastard."

Captain Raydor smiled at Brenda's epithet and said "Well, you know what you're up against."

"Yes, Captain, I certainly do. Oh, before I forget, how is Rusty doin'?"

Capt. Raydor was glad to change the subject. "Physically, he's doing ok. The doctor said that he'll have a scar but that he won't lose any functioning in his leg."

"That's wonderful," Brenda smiled.

"But when it comes to his adjustment, he's not doing as well. He refuses to cooperate with the foster parents. He can't walk well enough to run away but he's making life difficult for everyone in the home," Capt. Raydor explained. "The foster parents want him moved."

"If we could find his mother, I know that would be a big help," Brenda commented. "If anyone has any contact with him, please let him know that I haven't forgotten my promise. And if necessary I'm sure that Fritz would be willin' to help too."

"I'll be sure to let his caseworker know," Captain Raydor replied and they concluded their conversation.

"Dammit," Brenda thought. "I forgot to ask when they're goin' to pick up my car. Well, I'm gonna continue to drive it until they call me."

She then called Fritz. He picked up on the first ring. "Hi," he said softly, "I've been waiting to hear from you. How was the interview?"

"It wasn't an interview. It was pure recruitment. Which do you want first? The good news or the bad news?"

"Good news."

"The good news is that I'd be makin' just about the same amount of money but I'd be workin' a lot fewer hours."

"What's the bad news?"

"The job is mostly administrative. And I wouldn't have a department car. There's more but we can talk about it tonight."

"Ok, honey. How about I stop at Ming's and pick up some Chinese tonight?"

"That sounds good. Just don't forget..." Brenda was interrupted.

"The hot mustard. I know," Fritz smiled. It sounded like his wife was back.

That night, they lay on the bed talking about the pros and cons of Brenda's job offer and examining the proposed contract. Brenda was more positive about a job change than Fritz had expected so he allowed hope to grow.

But his hope was soon replaced by anger when Brenda told him what DA Corning had said about his lunch with the Police Commissioner.

"I knew it!" Fritz exploded. "I'd like to take that fourth star of Pope's and cram it down his throat!"

"Oh, no. If anyone's goin' to do it, it's gonna be me," Brenda replied. "But, actually, I was thinkin' about crammin' it up a different orifice." Fritz grinned at the return of his wife's feistiness.

"Speaking of orifices, I've got a couple which could use some attention tonight," Fritz whispered nibbling gently on her ear.

"Hmmm. We can't have orifices bein' neglected, now. Can we?" And they paid sufficient attention to those orifices slowly and gently before falling asleep in each others' arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Day 4:

Brenda woke up with a smile on her face and she looked at her still sleeping husband. She could tell that Fritz was starting to wake up so she covered his face with feather-light kisses. He surprised her by rolling her over onto her back and giving her a big kiss.

"It's my turn to be first in the shower this morning," Brenda said lightly pushing him away. She was pleased that she was able to get up from the bed with much less discomfort.

When Fritz finished with his shower he came back into the room to find his wife sitting at the table again reviewing the DA's proposal.

Without looking up, Brenda said, "I ordered breakfast."

While they were eating Fritz asked, "What's on your agenda today?"

Brenda said "I've decided to accept the DA's offer so I'm going to call and tell him I'm ready to sign a letter of intent."

"Are you going to hand in your resignation to Pope today?"

"I'm not sure. I've got to write my letter of resignation. But before I take it to him, there's something I need to do first."

"What's that?" Fritz asked.

"Do you remember last winter when I told you about the Johnson Rule and you hit the roof?"

"Oh, yes. I remember that very well."

"You said I should contact another attorney and sue everyone connected with that settlement agreement," Brenda continued. "But I just didn't want to make things worse."

Fritz just nodded. He knew there was more to come.

"What I didn't tell you was that the next day Captain Raydor gave me the name of another attorney. But I never called him."

"Are you thinking of calling him now?"

"I wasn't thinking of calling him at all until DA Corning told me about his conversation with the Police Commissioner. But now I'm thinking I might." Brenda looked at Fritz cautiously. She knew how he felt and she didn't want him to overreact.

But Fritz played it cool. "It's your decision. If you want, when you go in to talk to him, I'll go with you."

"We'll see. I need to think about it some more. And I also need to get flight information to go see Daddy again before I start at the DA's office."

"You know," Fritz commented, "Talking to an attorney doesn't commit you to do anything. But it will give you the facts you need to make your decision."

Brenda nodded. She knew he was right.

As they were finishing the last of the coffee, Fritz asked "Do you want to take me to work so you can have my car all day?"

"Thanks but I still have the Crown Vic and no one has called. I think I can negotiate for them to pick it up tomorrow. So if they call about it, tomorrow might be a good day for me to use yours."

"Ok. But you have to get moving on buying a car for yourself," Fritz said. He kissed her goodbye and headed out the door to work.

Brenda went down to the hotel's Business Center. The computer in the corner was free so she sat down and began composing her letter of resignation. As she wrote it, she thought of leaving the job she loved more than anything else she'd ever done. The faces of each member of her squad flashed before her and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, for heaven's sake," Brenda said to herself. "Even leavin' Taylor is makin' me weepy!" After half filling the wastebasket with crumpled up drafts that weren't quite right, she thought she had composed a decent letter and she printed off a copy to show Fritz. Before leaving the Business Center she checked airline schedules between LAX and ATL.

Back in her room, Brenda called Captain Raydor and was told that she could go home today. She also told Brenda that, while they had to keep her ruined purse, she could pick up its contents. "I can put them on your desk, Chief," Capt. Raydor offered. Sharon also told Brenda that she had called the landlord and gotten his permission to have Aftermath come in and clean up. They were probably there working already. The LAPD would cover all costs not covered by Brenda's renter's insurance.

"That's a relief. Frankly, the thought of havin' to clean up that mess by myself is nauseatin'," Brenda sighed. "Thank you, Captain. You've been a huge help to Fritz and me."

"You're welcome, Chief. It's part of my job."

"Yes, but it seems you've gone a bit above and beyond and I'm very grateful."

"You're welcome," Captain Raydor replied again. And they ended their call.

DA Corning was thrilled to receive Brenda's phone call. Since she was asking for no changes in his proposal, Brenda asked if he just wanted her to sign it and put it in the mail to him.

"No. That was just a draft. I need to have my secretary put it into the proper format. She'll mail it to you this afternoon. Do you want to use the home address you gave me?"

"Yes, that would be fine. It looks like we'll be goin' home this evenin'." Brenda made a mental note that she needed to go to the Post Office and pick up all their accumulated mail and resume delivery.

DA Corning continued, "The first Monday of next month is actually October first. You'll be spending most of your first day in HR. I'll tell the people in your division that your actual first day with them will be Tuesday."

"In that case, I'd like to have a staff meetin' with them first thing Tuesday mornin'."

"I can let everyone know. Oh, and I've been thinking about your request. If you can get the LAPD to agree to one of their experienced detectives being assigned to be a liaison I'm sure I can find a desk and a computer for him."

"Wonderful. When I hand in my resignation I'll ask for one of my detectives to come with me. Another thing, when I return the signed agreement to you, would it be possible for me to pick up any policy and procedural manuals so I can study them before I meet with my staff?"

"Of course. You want to hit the ground running. I like that. If you have the time I can give you a tour, show you your office and the rest of the layout."

"I would appreciate that, sir. Thank you." And Brenda hung up the phone smiling. She felt good about her decision, even though she knew that leaving the LAPD was going to be emotionally hard."

Next, Brenda fished for the telephone book in the bedside table's drawer. She picked up the volume of Yellow Pages and turned to Attorneys, thumbing the pages until she found the name Captain Raydor had given her: Wilson Henegar. She dialed the number, listened to some boring music while waiting to be transferred to his office, and made an appointment.

She dialed her phone one more time. Good morning, Sgt. Gabriel. I need to talk to you about something. Can you come over to my hotel? Fine. I'll meet you in the lobby.

Brenda sat watching the cars entering the hotel drive. While she was waiting she took a call from Sharon Raydor updating her on Rusty's situation.

When she spotted Gabriel's car pulling into a parking space, she rose to meet him as he came through the automatic doors. "Let's sit over there in the corner where we can have some privacy," Brenda suggested.

After they were seated, Brenda thanked him for looking after Rusty.

"No problem, Chief." David knew that wasn't why he was called to his boss' hotel so he waited.

Brenda told him about her new job and asked him if he'd consider leaving Major Crimes to become her liaison officer.

"Chief, I don't know. I've got enough years of service in with the LAPD to be fully vested in the retirement system. I hate to give that up."

"The only way you could become my liaison officer would be if Chief Pope agrees to keep you on the payroll so you'd still have your retirement. And since he's so dead set on DDAs being involved in investigations right at the beginnin' I don't think it'll be a tough sell."

David smiled and said, "In that case, I would be interested. It's no secret that my presence in Major Crimes is dividing the unit. I would feel better in another job. And I know Flynn and Sanchez would feel better if I had another job too. It's become hard to work there."

"David, if you wanted to stick it out, I'm sure that it'll get easier for you. Flynn and Sanchez are good men. They'll come around."

"No, Chief. The only reason I didn't ask for a transfer when Flynn told me to is because you asked me to stay. Now, with you leaving, there's no reason for me to stay in Major Crimes. I think it would be easier all around if I went with you."

"Are you sure?" When Gabriel nodded she continued, "Ok. I expect I'll be talkin' to Chief Pope within the next day or two. I'll call you."

"Thank you, Chief. I really appreciate you thinking of me."

"You're welcome, David," Brenda smiled at him. "It'll all work out, I'm sure."

David nodded and left.

Brenda went back up to her room and called Fritz advising him of her flight information and asked him to book the tickets. And she also told him of her appointment with Mr. Henegar.

"I don't know if I can go with you. The Salazar case is having a preliminary hearing in Sacramento and the U.S. Attorney says he wants me there day after tomorrow." Fritz listened carefully for clues to Brenda's reaction.

"That's no problem. I can go by myself."

"Are you sure you want to do that? Maybe I should ask Jerry to cover for me."

"No, don't do that. You've had to give up too much of your work time for me. If you can't go with me that's all right. I'm just going to get information anyway."

"Are you sure?" Fritz asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure. Oh, and I've got to stop by the Post Office and pick up the mail this afternoon. I want to pick up Joel and I might as well pick up something for dinner while I'm runnin' around."

"Why don't we just order a pizza when I get home? We've got a big cleanup job waiting for us."

"Actually, we don't. Captain Raydor said she'd called the cleanin' service the LAPD has used in the past to clean up and repair crime scenes. The landlord agreed to let them handle it so they're probably there now. The place may still smell like fresh paint when we get there, though."

"Who pays for that?" Fritz asked.

"The LAPD has a special account for anything our insurance doesn't cover," Brenda replied. "I think that's the least they could do."

Fritz didn't even try to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "Well, good. Finally, some support from the LAPD."

"One last favor to ask of you," Brenda continued, "Could you call me when you leave the office? I don't want to get there before you do."

"Of course, honey. I'll see you tonight."

The Crown Vic and Fritz's Audi pulled up to their duplex at the same time. Brenda grabbed the cat carrier and the mail while Fritz got their suitcases. When he opened the door, Brenda took a deep breath and stepped into the laundry room. From there she could see the fresh paint on the walls and the clean floors. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened Joel's cat carrier and smiled when he headed straight for his food bowl. "Hold on mister. I'll feed you," she said.

Fritz took their suitcases into their bedroom and walked into the bathroom. He wanted to make sure that the bathroom window screen had been repaired and that the window was locked. Then he walked around checking the locks on all of the windows. When he finished he went to find Brenda and discovered her standing in the kitchen staring at the floor where he assumed Stroh had fallen.

She looked up at him and said, "I can't say it's good to be home yet. But you're right. There are no more demons here."

Fritz hugged her and said, "Good. Let's unpack."

And she followed him into the bedroom. "Just unpack? Is that all you want to do?" she teased.

"Oh, no. There's something I want much more," Fritz playfully replied.

"What's that?" Brenda replied in the same playful tone.

"Decide whether or not to order mushrooms."

She smiled. "Oh. You'll have to decide that one. Decisions of that magnitude are above my pay grade."


	5. Chapter 5

Days 5 and 6:

At breakfast, Fritz brought the subject up one more time. "Brenda, have you given any more thought to buying a car?"

"No," Brenda sighed. "I've been too busy." She knew she was dodging the issue but she couldn't think about it right now.

"Honey, just how much longer do you think you can hang onto the Crown Vic? You are certainly welcome to drive the Audi when I'm in the office but I've got to be able to get out in the field too."

"I don't know what I want, Fritzy. I think I'm just gonna go to that big car place across from the mall and pick one."

"That's a used car lot," Fritz said with surprise in his voice.

Brenda just looked at him.

"I want you to buy a new car, with a full new car warranty."

"But, Fritzy, that's a lot more money, and I..."

He interrupted, "Brenda, when you buy a used car you're buying someone else's problems. And there's no need for you to buy a used car. We can afford a new one."

"But I don't know what I want and there are too many to choose from. I don't have time to go to every new car dealership in LA. Besides, I've never bought a car in my life."

That caught Fritz by surprise. "You've never bought a car before?"

"No. When I went to Georgetown, Daddy gave me his car and I kept it until I went to Metro. Daddy and Bobby found my next car when I moved back to Atlanta and I drove it out here. That's the one I sold when you moved in with me. There wasn't enough room in the driveway for three cars and I had the Crown Vic. I didn't need another one."

"Ok. Start by figuring out whether you want an SUV or a sedan. Go to any new car dealership and ask to test drive a couple of each. Once you've made that choice we can work on the make and model."

"I don't think I'll have time today. I've got too much to do."

Fritz knew that wasn't true but since Brenda was digging in her heels he knew better than to push it any further.

They both put their dishes in the dishwasher and Fritz followed his wife out the door. After a goodbye kiss Brenda drove to the mall.

She picked out three new outfits. All were dark tailored pant suits and she chose bright colored silk blouses to wear with them. Bright colors raised her spirits. "This has never been my style but every woman at the DA's office seems to think this is the proper uniform. I'll at least start out lookin' like I belong," she said as she looked at herself in the dressing room mirror, paying special attention to her butt. She realized it was more money than she usually spent on new clothes but had to admit that they looked mighty good on her. "Slimmin'," she thought, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

On her way back to the parking garage escalator she stopped and looked at handbags but couldn't find one she liked. If they were large enough to suit her they were messenger bags and that reminded her of DDA Baldwin. Sighing, she moved on to the shoe department. She tried on three pairs but the only pair she liked was uncomfortable so she didn't buy anything there either. So she left the mall.

Stopped at a red light, she saw a Toyota dealership just ahead on the right. "I don't even have to change lanes," she thought and pulled into the lot.

A salesman met her and pointed to the different models available for immediate sale. He explained to her that if she decided on a model that he could probably get any color and options she wanted within a few days.

"That's ok," Brenda explained, "I'm flyin' to Atlanta to visit my father so I probably won't need it until I get back."

As they started toward the new cars, she told the salesman, "My husband wants me to decide if I want an SUV or a sedan first and he wants me to test drive both. But I don't think I want an SUV. I think I'd like to just look at sedans today."

Much later, Brenda pulled out of the lot with a smug look on her face. She had just purchased her first car ever. Without a man's help. And it was so much easier than she had ever imagined. She was even pleased with her ability to negotiate what she was sure was a good deal. She wouldn't be able to pick up the car until she gets back from Atlanta but she knew Fritz wouldn't mind the delay. After all, he had already said he has to go to Sacramento tomorrow so that's at least one day that she can use the Audi. And she still has the Crown Vic, too.

"Buzz is gonna be pleased when I tell him I bought a Prius," she smiled to herself. He was always emailing articles to her about global warming and greenhouse gases. "He'll love that I'm gonna be doin' my part to save the environment."

Brenda stopped at the grocery store on the way home and restocked the refrigerator. "I'm goin' to try a new recipe tonight. After all, if I'm gonna work on bein' a better wife, I need to add to my culinary repertoire," she thought remembering the recipe cards she picked up from the kiosk at the end of the produce aisle. The woman demonstrating the recipes said that they were all "cook friendly" and she had tried a couple of samples and picked out one that looked easy to prepare and that she thought Fritz would like.

When she got home, she first hung up her new clothes. Then she chopped and sauteed. As she was working she thought "I'm not really sure that this is the way to a man's heart. Sex is. And I do all right in that department," she smiled.

When dinner was finally in the oven, she sat down at the computer and began composing a summary of events so she wouldn't forget anything when she talked to Wilson Henegar tomorrow. After she printed off a copy she realized with both relief and pleasure that the only time she had thought about the whole Stroh attack is when she first opened the laundry room door and looked into the kitchen. "This was a very good day and I'm celebratin'," she thought as she selected a bottle of Merlot from the wine rack, poured herself a glass, and sat down on the sofa to relax until the timer went off.

Fritz was very impressed with dinner. He even asked for seconds and that made Brenda very proud. When she told him about buying the Prius, she couldn't keep the pride from her voice and Fritz couldn't keep the surprise from his face. He thought he'd have to spend the whole weekend physically dragging his pouting and balking wife to various car dealerships. But she had handled the whole thing herself in one stop. And not only had she made a fair deal, she actually had remembered to enter the deposit she paid for the car into Quicken without him nagging her and finally giving up and digging in her purse to find her checkbook and entering it himself – provided she had even remembered to write it down.

"You blow me away," was Fritz's only comment. But Brenda could see pride in his smiling eyes so she smiled back.

"What? You think only you big, tough men can buy cars?"

Fritz chuckled. "What happened to the woman who this morning couldn't face the thought of even having to look for her first car?"

The ringing phone saved her from having to come up with a sufficiently sassy retort. It was her daddy. They talked for a few minutes and she told him about her new job and coming to see him next week. After she hung up the phone she remembered to tell Fritz about the new clothes she also bought. As she had expected he was fine with her purchases. She rarely spent money on herself and he never objected when she did.

And for his part, Fritz refrained from asking her if she'd entered that charge into Quicken too. He wisely had decided not to push his good luck.

After they both cleaned up the kitchen, Fritz settled down to watch a baseball game on TV and she busied herself with writing her final squad's performance reviews. She would email them to Will after she spoke to him.

* * *

The next morning Brenda got up early to fix Fritz's breakfast since he had an early flight to Sacramento. Then she showered and headed out to her appointment with Wilson Henegar.

He was an older man and treated her with almost courtly respect. He explained to her that there was no charge for this first appointment. But he would need to research her case before he would decide whether or not to take it on. If he decided not to take it she would be billed for his time. If he decided to take the case there would be no charge to her. He would take 40 percent of any and all judgments as his compensation.

"What if the judgment goes against us?" Brenda asked.

"Then we both lose," Mr. Henegar said, "Which is why I'm not prepared to take your case right now." He hadn't invited Brenda to call him by his first name and somehow using his first name didn't seem appropriate anyway. "Why don't you give me a summary of your reasons for wanting to sue the LAPD?"

Brenda held her outline in her lap and recounted the whole Tyrell Baylor incident, both lawsuits against her, and the Johnson Rule.

At the mention of Gavin Baker's name, Mr. Henegar looked surprised. And when she mentioned Peter Goldman's name, she saw disgust on his face.

Brenda concluded by reinforcing that she never broke any laws and emphasized that the first lawsuit was dismissed for lack of evidence and that she was dropped from the second.

"I know Gavin very well and I would be surprised to find he had been involved in something ethically dubious. But I would be surprised if Peter Goldman was involved in anything that wasn't," Mr. Henegar said. "This doesn't sound cut and dried to me. It's going to take some looking into."

That was not what Brenda had hoped to hear but he had already said that he needed to research her case before committing to it. She realized that he was just taking a neutral position.

"I want to emphasize that a monetary judgment is not really my concern. Oh, I realize that we need to win enough for you to be adequately paid, but I want my name cleared in court and I want my name off the Johnson Rule."

"Let me do some research and I'll get back to you within the next week or two. In the meantime please do not mention to anyone that you've discussed this with me. I don't want to give anyone at the LAPD advance notice that they could be sued. You'd be surprised at how quickly tracks can be covered."

"I'll be in Atlanta but you've got my cell phone number and can call me there. And I won't tell anyone about this except my husband. He's a Special Agent for the FBI and, believe me, he can keep a secret."

"You can talk to your husband. As a matter of fact, if I agree to take your case I will need to talk to him."

That evening Brenda told Fritz everything about her meeting with Wilson Henegar. "I don't know how long it will take him to reach a decision," she explained, "But I really liked him. If I really do have a case he will tell me. And even if he doesn't take my case himself because of his relationship with Gavin, I'm sure he'll refer me to someone who will."

"So, do you think you want to proceed?"

"Maybe. Just tellin' him about it all made me mad all over again. But I need to hear what Mr. Henegar thinks so I won't be makin' any decisions until I get back from Atlanta. And tellin' him all that stuff made me think more about my life, " she continued.

"What about your life?" Fritz asked.

"It's about our life, actually," Brenda replied. "Fritz, I know I haven't been a good enough wife."

Fritz started to interrupt her but she stopped him so he moved closer and put his arm around her.

"I know I have gotten so wound up in my cases that I couldn't see anyone else's point of view. Especially yours. And I know that I hurt you. I see that now. And I promise you that I'm going to try to be the kind of wife you deserve."

"Oh, honey." Fritz could barely speak. "All the problems we've had are not entirely your fault. We both need to work on our marriage."

"No, no. They are my fault. And I intend to fix them. But you have to help me. When you see me puttin' my blinders on to what you need, you have to promise me that you'll tell me to stop and listen to you. Because I will listen."

"I will, sweetheart. And you have to make sure I know what you need too."

"You always have known what I need. And if I spend more time listenin' to you I'll know it too. And I know one thing you've said you've wanted and I just didn't want to give it to you. But I'm ready to now."

"What's that?"

"I'll go with you to an AA meetin'. Just as soon as I get back from Atlanta. That's a promise."

Fritz smiled at her. "Thank you. You don't know how much that would mean to me."

"I've known it's been important to you for a long time but I just couldn't deal with it. But I will," Brenda vowed. "And I want to meet your sponsor, if that's allowed. I want to thank him for helpin' you when I didn't."

"Well," Fritz said breathlessly. "This certainly has been a big day for you." He smiled and lovingly touched her cheek.

"It was a big day for both of us. And do you know what would make it even bigger?"

"What?"

Brenda didn't reply. She just took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N This is the final chapter. It's also the day that Brenda finally confronts Will Pope. It's been a long time coming. This is a short chapter but it was a very satisfying chapter to write.**

**Day 7**

As they were both getting dressed Brenda commented that she was going to see Will Pope this morning.

"Oh, today's the big day, is it?" Fritz asked.

The conversation continued at the breakfast table.

"I'm gonna tell him that my resignation is effective immediately. I'll use some of my benefit days to cover the rest of the time. I've got enough of them." Brenda had chosen one of her new outfits and noticed that it did make her feel more powerful.

"What I wouldn't give to go with you for that conversation. I'd like to contribute a few choice words of my own."

She rolled her eyes. "All I need is for you two alpha males to start buttin' heads."

"I know. You want to handle this yourself. I'll just have to resign myself to waiting for you to tell me all about it tonight."

"Can you resign yourself to helpin' me pack up my office?" Brenda asked.

"Ok. Providing you give me all the details later."

"You'll hear it all. I promise," she replied and got up to put her dishes in the dishwasher. Fritz did the same and followed her out of the duplex, locking the door behind him.

They drove separately to the police station where they parked their cars in their usual parking spaces, meeting at the elevators. After stopping to pick up some empty boxes from Building Maintenance, Fritz pushed the buttons for Brenda's floor as well as for Chief Pope's new floor.

"I'll start packing up your books while you meet with Pope," he said as the elevator stopped.

Brenda nodded and continued up to Will Pope's new office. "Well, he finally landed in the Penthouse Palace he's had his heart set on for so long. I hope it was worth it to him," she thought bitterly.

Pope saw Brenda holding a file folder and standing at his secretary's desk. He stepped to the doorway and invited her to come in. He beckoned her to have a seat and Brenda looked around at the impressive size of the office and its sumptuous furnishings. "So this is what he sacrificed everythin' and everyone to achieve," Brenda thought.

"How are you?" Pope asked in his most solicitous tone.

"It's a little late for your concern, Will."

The anger in her tone caused Pope's eyebrows to rise. "Brenda, I..."

"Nevermind. It's over now."

"Brenda, be reasonable. I didn't cause Stroh to break into your home. And I certainly didn't cause you to attack him in the elevator."

"Will, I didn't come here to listen to you defend your lack of support," Brenda replied grimly. Pope just looked at her so she continued. "Capt. Raydor said that the City Attorney is demandin' that a formal reprimand be placed in my permanent record."

"That's true. Because your attack in the elevator was unprovoked," Pope replied.

"I did that because, thanks to your decisions, I had no other way to get Stroh's DNA."

Will looked annoyed. "Well, the City Attorney doesn't see it that way."

"But the City Attorney is not your boss. You do not have to accept his opinion. Oh, wait. I forgot. I guess you do. After all, it wouldn't do for the Mayor and the Police Commissioner to see that everythin' that happened was a result of your lack of support. You have to protect your position at all costs. And we both know that stopping a serial rapist and murderer isn't as important as your fourth star. Isn't that right, Will?"

He couldn't miss the bitterness and sarcasm in her voice. "Brenda, you simply cannot blame others for your poor decisions," he countered, his anger rising.

She decided not to be sidetracked by arguing any further about just whose decision created the problem. "Well, Will. I absolutely will not accept a reprimand so I'm givin' you notice that I'm resignin', effective immediately." She reached into her file, retrieved her letter and handed it to him.

"I've accepted a position with the DA's office. I'll be the Chief of the Bureau of Investigations. And I'm requestin' that you assign David Gabriel as my liaison officer. That should heal the damage to Major Crimes that the whole leak business created. And it will further your agenda of having the DA's office involved more directly with LAPD's investigations."

She could see the surprise and sadness in his face as he turned to read the letter. When he had finished, he cleared his throat and spoke softly. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"You could change your attitude and your values, but we both know that isn't gonna happen." Brenda saw his annoyance and hurt but continued anyway. "So, no. There's nothin' you can do."

"Look, Brenda. I know you blame me for Stroh breaking into your home but I had no idea that he would try something like that."

Brenda thought Will sounded like he was talking to one of his children. "I don't blame you for Stroh's actions, Will. I blame you for yours. For bein' so concerned about your precious fourth star that you were willin' to short-circuit my investigation of a serial killer and place not only my life but the life of a child at risk too."

Pope's face went white and he looked like he'd been sucker punched. Brenda didn't give him time to catch his breath. She forged ahead. "Don't bother to deny it. I wouldn't believe you anyway. You've lied to me so many times."

By now Pope had caught his breath. "Brenda, I've never lied to you," he protested.

"Oh, please. That's not even worth denyin'. You've lied to me throughout our entire relationship. Startin' with not tellin' me that you were married, and then that you loved me and wanted to leave your wife and marry me. Then tellin' me that you had to end our relationship in order to work on your marriage. When, all the time, you were cheatin' on both of us with Estelle. But that's ancient history, Will. The only reason I brought it up is so you'll realize that I know how long you've been lyin' to me. I'm much more interested in recent history."

There was nothing he could say so Will just stared at her and simply asked, "What recent history?"

"You lied to me when you said that Captain Raydor interviewin' my entire squad was necessary to finish up IA's internal audit. You were lookin' for a way to place the entire blame for Tyrell Baylor on me. Internal Affairs was willin' to clear me but you needed Capt. Raydor to keep tryin' to dig up somethin' that would let you off the hook for givin' immunity to a child killer over my objections." Brenda was guessing. But the look on Pope's face revealed the truth of her accusation and it further fueled her anger.

She continued, "And you lied when you said that you had to make 'compromises' in order to keep me and to save Major Crimes. The Police Commissioner said that he never asked you to make any compromises at all. As a matter of fact, he said that he realizes that we always have liabilities and that he has always admired my work. He considers me to be an asset to the LAPD."

Pope's face paled again. "You spoke to the Commissioner?"

"Who I speak to is none of your business. All you need to know is that I now know the truth. You never cared about me at all. You are only capable of carin' about yourself. You are a fuckin' liar and a snake." Brenda's language surprised even her, but she didn't care. It seemed the least offensive of all the appropriate descriptions of him that she could have mustered. As a matter of fact, she was pleased with her restraint.

"Brenda, please. You have to know that I really loved you," Pope pleaded.

"Oh, please. You don't know what love is. But I don't blame you for that. I didn't know either until Fritz. You see, Will, unlike you, he loves me unconditionally. He would never lie to me. And he would never, never sacrifice me for anythin' at all. Certainly not for a job. He would take the blame for me, whether the blame was actually mine or not. And he certainly would not try to make me look guilty of anythin' at all just to make himself look good. He would give his own life to protect me. That's what real love is, Will. I thank my lucky stars that I found such a decent, honorable, lovin' man. And I pity you because you will never let yourself be half the man Fritz Howard is."

And with that, she put her gun, her badge, and her car keys on his desk and walked out with a smile on her face, and with her head held high.

The End


End file.
